Support for spinning-spindles



(No Model.)

A. WOOD.

SUPPORT FOR SPINNING SPINDLES. No. 371,404. Patented Oct. 11, 1887.

10127166596 wen/Z07- f/wo X Z 7/0050 $119M M7 W 7 llNrrED STATES PATENT Grrrcn.

AURIN \VOOD, OF W'ORCESTER, ASSIGNOR TO THE SAYVYER SPINDLE COM- PANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SUPPORT FOR SPINNING-SPINDLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,404,6ated October 11 1887.

Application filed June 22, 1856. Serial No. 205,874.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AURIN Woon,of Worcester, county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Supports for Spinning-Spindles, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

1c This invention has for its object to improve and simplify the bolster-bearings for that class of spindles known as top spindles, or spindles which have but a single bearing, that bearing being a bolster-bearing for its lower 15 end.

Heretofore the pintles of spindles of this class have entered and been rotated withinindependent bolsters contained loosely in bolster cases or supports, the said bolsters in some instances being surrounded within the bolster-eases by elastic or yielding packing, and in other instances by oil,which, surrounding the bolster, acts as a cushion for it, the bolster being prevented from rotation in the bolster-case, but being free to oscillate therein to a limited extent at its lower end with the lower end of the spindle as thelatter moves or wanders by reason of high speed or unequal loading; but such plan requiring packing 3o necessitates greater space between the pintle of the spindle and the sleeve-whirl, and the packing has frequently to be renewed, and in the movement of the bolster the surrounding packing has to be compressed.

In this class of bearing the bolster-case has always been fixed with relation to the bolster or step-rail, only the bolster being free to move with the spindle, and in some cases a pin has been employed to prevent the rotation of the bolster with the bolster-case. So, also, prior to my invention, a bolstenbearing having a step at its lower end for the spindle has been mounted on a bolster-rail without a bolstercase to inclose it, and the said bolster has been held down upon the rail by a spiral spring surrounding it and interposed between the lower side of the rail and a not upon the lower end of the bolster, the bolster being thereby flexibly mounted on the rail to yield in all '50 directions with the movements of the spindle but under the stress of the spring as the spin- (No model.)

dle adjusts itself to an unbalanced load; but when a spring is used to connect the bolster to the rail the spring must yield to every movement of the bolster, the stress of the spring, however, impeding the movement of the bolster. The greater the movement of the bolster the greater the stress of the spring, and consequently the greater the impediment to the movement of the spindle.

I have discovered that the only useful function of a connection between the bolster and the rail is to prevent the bolster from being unseated or from being drawn upward and to limit the extent of the movement of the bolster horizontally with the spindle within certain fixed lines or points.

In accordance with my invention I have discarded the usual fixed bolster-case, the loose bolster therein, and surrounding elastic or yielding packing such as referred to, and instead thereof have devised a new mode of attachment for the bolster, I having mounted it loosely on or with relation to the rail, a portion of the bolster cooperating with suitable devices fixed upon or with relation to the rail and capable of forming a stop or catch to an rest the movement of the bolster as soon as the limit which shall have been fixed for the movement of the bolster shall have been reached, I thereby avoiding any impediment to the movement of the bolster and spindle until after the movement of the bolster shall have been sufficient to neutralize the jar or gyration due to an unbalanced load upon the spindle.

The bolster employed in this my invention, it having a suitable step co-operating with it for the end of the spindle, is mounted loosely upon or with relation to the bolster-rail in such manner that it is free. to move uureo strictedly in substantially all directions within certain fixed or determined limits to conform to the movement of the foot of the spindle as the spindle adj usts itself to an unbalanced load, the movement of the bolster being restricted, as herein shown, not only by a pin or stud which serves to join the bolster loosely above or with relation to the rail, but also by reason of one or more projections cooperating with the lower end or foot of the bolster.

My improved bolster, constituting the only lateral bearing for the spindle and interposed IOO between the spindle and the interior of the sleeve-whirl, is of solid metal, made, as herein shown, to resemble a tube with a foot, the said foot being loosely attached with relation to or upon the rail in such manner as to permit the bolster to move unrestrictedly within certain limits sufficient in practice to enable the spindle to practically move into position to counteract the jar due to unequal loading.

In that form of my invention herein shown the foot of the bolster is of greater area in crosssection than that part of the bearing which is surrounded by the sleeve-whirl, the said foot being made movable above the main surface of the rail, and, as herein shown, the said foot is of such shapein cross-section as to embrace loosely a block, plate, or projection attached to the rail and extended above its main surface, the foot being free to move, as

be adjusted.

stated, to a limited extent in substantially every needed direction with the spindle. Instead of embracing the projection,the foot may enter between parts ofthe rail with like effect. The end bearing or step for the spindle is located at the end of the bore in the tube-like bearing in which the lower end of the spindle rotates, or it may be made to rest on the plate below it.

The pin or stud herein shown as employed to attach the foot of the bolster to the rail enters a block, plate, or projection at or above the top of the rail and passes loosely into a hole in the said foot,or in the said block,plate, or projection, or into both, in such manner that the lower end of the said bolster-bearing is free to move unrestrictedly to a limited extent in any direction with the lower end of the spindle, the looseness of the fit between the said bolster-bearing and the pin or stud and the freedom of the bolster-bearing to tilt upon the axis of the pin or stud being sufficient in practice to compensate for and counteract the injurious jar or vibration which would be perceptible at the top of the spindle were itspintle held in a bearing which could not move with the foot of the spindle. In practice I have found that a looseness of fit which permits the top of aspindle' twelve inches long to move asixteenth of an inch from the perpendicular is suffieient. Herein l have shown the pin or stud to retain the bolster as located at right angles to the pintle-receiving socket thereof, the pin or stud in operative position being placed horizontally, the foot of the bolster having co-operating with it a suitable screw by which the position of the bolster may Figure 1 shows a sufficient portion of a spin- I hing-frame with my improvements added to enable my invention to be understood, the tubelike bolster-bearing, the block, plate, or projection, and the bolster-rail and sleeve-whirl being in section, the spindle being in elevation; Fig. 2, an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1, looking toward the left, the spindle being omitted; and Figs. 3 and 4 are modifications.

The driving-band O, the spindle D, having a sleeve-whirl, b, and a pintle, b, are and may be all as usual. The bolster-rail Q will occupy the place of the usual bolster-rail in usual spinning-frames, and will extend from one to the other end of the machine parallel to the usual driving-drum.

My improved bolster, constituting the sole lateral bearing for thespindle, consists of a tube-like portion, 0. having, as herein shown, a laterally-extended foot, 0 which is mounted loosely on or with relation to the surface of therail or by a suitable pin or stud, d, which enters the said foot, and also a block, plate, or projection, e, located at or near or just above the surface of the rail, the pin or stud connecting the said parts loosely, the said block, plate, or projection being either made separate from or as an integral part of the said rail.

In practice the foot or lower end, 0 of the bolster is so supported upon or held by the said pin as to be free to move unrestrictedly for a short distance in substantially all directions in accordance with the requirements of the spindle as the latter vibrates, owing to high speed or unequal loading, or both, or until the movement of the bolster, which at its com mencement is un restricted is arrested byastop, after which the further movement of the bolster is arrested abruptly.

The pin or stud (1, smaller in diameter than the holes entered by it, and the block, plate, or projection 6 both serve as stops for the bolster after the bolster has been moved sufficiently to enable the lower end of the spindle to move far enough to compensate for the unbalanced load on the spindle. I

In practice I have found that thefoot of the bolster-bearing, if permitted to move but very little with relation to the rail by a loose con nection, as it may when connected to the rail by the loosely-fitting pin or stud herein shown, is sufficient to counteract the injurious jar commonly experienced when spindles are rotated at high speed in an unyielding hearing.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the foot 0 of the bolsterbearing is shown as grooved or provided with ears to embrace the block, plate, or projection located above the rail; or, in other words, the. foot and the block, plate, or projection are so shaped that one embraces the other loosely, leaving, however, sufficient space between to enable the bolster-bearing to move longitudinally of the rail with the foot of the spindle, the pin or stud d loosely connecting the said parts, as stated, permitting a slight vertical and lateral or transverse movement of the bolster on or with relation to the rail, the said projection e and pin d co-operating to confine the movements of the foot within fixed limits.

a and as a part of a clamp, and holding it thereon by a clamping device, (shown as a screw,t,) affords an easy mode of attachment to and avoids making holes through the rail where my improvements are to be applied to the rails of old spinning-frames. Y

Instead of the block, plate, or projection 6 being made as a separate piece, it may form an integral part of the rail, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, when the frame is newly constructed to embody my improvements.

It is obvious that my invention will be the same if the block or plate (1 should be separated or divided, as shown in the modification, Fig. 4, thus leaving a space with a projection at each side, between which to enter the foot (2 of the said bearing, the pin or stud (I passing through both of the blocks 0, as well as foot 0 the pin fitting one or both of the said parts loosely.

As herein shown, the pin or stud displaced at right angles to the spindlereceiving opening of the bolster-bearing, and the said pin or stud is located above or at the upper side of the rail or the main body thereof.

I do not desire or intend to confine my invention to the particular shapes or forms of the parts which are loosely connected by the pin or stud herein shown, nor to the particular location of the said pin or stud, nor to the angle at which it is placed with relation to the spindle or the parts connected by it, nor to the use of a pin or stud to'confine the movements of the bolster, for, while I have shown only some of the devices which may be used to connect the bolster to the rail and one position in which the pin may be placed, consider that my invention embraces any loose joint between the bolster and rail or rigid parts attached thereto, which, while permitting unrestricted movement of th bolster within fixed limits, also forms a rigid stop to restrain the movement of the bolster within fixed limits, so that while the bolster is free to adjust itself unrestrictedly to the movements of the spindle in carrying an unbalanced load, yet, such movement having taken place sufficient to correct the evils due to the unbalanced load, the further movement of the bolster is positively restrained by a suitable fixed stop, which becomes effective as thelimit of the movement of the bolster is reached.

The foot 0 is shown as provided with two screws, m a, the one m, located at that end of the said foot which in practice is nearest the usual spindle-driving drum, (not shown,) being employed as a levelingscrew, it being turned in one or the other direction to project its point more or less below the foot 0 to act against a rigid part below itto constitute a stop to adjust the bolster-bearing to place its pintle-reeeiving opening in vertical position.

The distance to which the end of the adj ustingscrew n protrudes beyond the bottom of the foot 0 determines the amount of move ment which the foot is permitted to have about the axis of the pin (1.

The step or end support, f, is shown as a separate steel block; but it is obvious that the separate piece may be omitted and that a surface at the end of the bore would answer as the step or end support to sustain the weight of the spindle.

I am aware that a rigid supportingtube attached to a rail and extended up within a sleeve-whirl has been provided with a bolster held loosely in the tube by a pin extended through the supporting-tube, the footstep,and the bolster, as in United States patents to Allen, Nos. 262,268 and 264,054; but in neither of the said patents is the bolster aloneextended into the sleeve-whirl to constitute byitself the sole lateral bearing for the spindle.

I claim 1. A spindlerail, a sleeve-whirl spindle, and a bolster constituting the sole lateral support for it and extended up within the sleeve whirl, combined with a pin or stud to hold the said bolster loosely on or with relation to the rail, whereby the said bolster, with the spindle within it, is free to move unrestrictedly within fixed limits to adjust itself to the movements of the spindle in revolution with an unbalanced load,substantially as described.

2. The combination, substantially as describe d,with a sleeve-whirl spindle, of a tubelike bolster constituting the entire lateral bearing for the spindle and interposed directly between it and the sleeve-whirl, and having an enlarged foot, a rail, a block or plate above the rail, and a pin or stud connecting loosely the foot of the said tube-like bolster with the said block or plate, the combination being and operating substantially as described, whereby the said bolster, together with the pintle or lower end of the spindle and all the parts within the sleeve-whirl, is permitted to move or oscillate sufficiently to obviate injurious jar when the spindle is being rotated rapidly, as set forth.

3. The sleeve-whirl spindle, the rail, and block or plate thereon, combined with a tubelike bolster having a foot of greater area in cross-section than the said bolster within the sleeve-whirl, and a pin or stud loosely connecting the foot of the said bolster with the said block or plate, the said bolster constituting the entire lateral bearing for the spindle and being free to oscillate or move laterally above or with relation to the rail,together with the spindle, as the lower end of the spindle moves under unequal loading, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a spindlerail, a spindle, and a rigid tube-like bolster constituting not only the entire lateral bearing but also serving as a step for the spindle, of a pin or stud to retain the said rigid tube-like holster loosely upon or with relation to the bolster-rail, the entire body of the said bolster, with the piutle of the spindle therein, being free to oscillate or move laterally above or with relation to the said rail, substantially as described.

5. The spindle, the rail, the block or plate, and pin or stud, combined with a tube-like bolster constituting the sole lateral support for the spindle and having a foot, the said pin or stud being located externally with relation to the rail and connecting the said bolster loosely with and so as to move freely, as described, on or with relation to the surface of the said rail, for the purposes set forth. v

6. The sleeve-Whirl spindle, the rail, a detachable block or plate secured thereto, and a tube-like bolster constituting the entire lateral bearing for the said spindle, combined with a pin or stud loosely connecting the said bolster and block or plate externally with re lation to the said rail, the said bolster being the only device located between the pintle of the spindle and the sleevewhirhand moving with the said spindle and sleeve-whirl independently of the block or plate holding the said pin or stud as the foot of the spindle moves owing to unequal loading, substantially as described.

7. A sleeve-Whirl spindle, a tube-like bolstcr constituting the sole lateral support for it and having an enlarged laterally-extended foot, a rail, and a block or plate at the foot of the bolster, and the block or plate being shaped to enable one to partially inclose the other, combined with means to retain the block or plateand foot together loosely.

8. The sleeve-whirl spindle, .the rail, and the tube-like bolster-bearing constituting the sole lateral support for the spindle and having a connected laterallyextended enlarged foot to rest above the rail, combined with a horizontally-arranged pin to hold the bolster loosely in place and permit it to move freely within fixed limits above the rail as the foot of the pintle moves when the spindle is unequally loaded, substantially as described.

9. The spindle, a pin-holding portion, and pin, combined with a tube-like bolster having a foot, and with a leveling-screw, to operate substantially as described. r

10. The spindle, a pinholding portion, and pin, combined with a tube-like bolster having a foot, and with an adjusting-screw, to operate substantially as described.

11. The spindle, a pin-holding portion, and pin, combined with a tube-like bolster having a foot, and with two screws, m n, at opposite sides of the center line of the spindle, to operate substantially as described.

In testimony whereof [have signed my name to this specification in the presence oftwo sub- Witnesses:

F. J. DUTOHER, A. W. BEARnsELL. 

